Research on my interests in technology

Something that has interested me for years is do video games really make kids violent? Growing up, I loved fighting games and I would always played against my sister. We would get angry when we lost, but no one ever got violent! We still play them and its been the same way for years. Thats why I think this whole violence and video games thing isn’t true and that is why I choose to research what evidence they have on the subject.

Source: http://www.financialexpress.com/news/Violent-video-games-making--children-aggressive:-study/136114/

Most interesting quote: “Teachers of 600 children aged between 13 and 15, said children who spent more time playing such video games were more hostile than others. They are also more likely to argue with authorities and peers.”

“......However, long-term effects are as yet unclear.”

“Playing games with violent moves such as karate kicks, for example, leads children to use these moves in real life. Another study showed that playing video games using flame-throwers and automatic weapons made them more “mean and angry” afterwards.”

Ok, I think this article was a bad source not only because the article is so short, but because the evidence doesn’t seem reliable. This is why I chose to write about it. I think any real evidence of video games having violent effects on children are inconclusive and that all the information provided on this website is the only evidence any news source has! For the first quote, I feel that the test should have been done on children of younger agers. Now a days, children get into video games quicker so a study of maybe 10-15 would be more appropriate. Also at the young age of 13 through 15, most children argue with authority figures, its just mood swings. The second quote is where I think researchers would get most of their information. For the best results for this experiment, future studies of the gamers violence increasing or decreasing because of video games would be great evidence. If the violence follows them into adulthood, then it should be considered a problem. As for the last quote I think it just sounds stupid. What is their definition of “mean and angry”? Saying the child acted that way after playing video games that  include using weaponry doesn’t explain much about physical violence or really how they responded emotionally. I guess I can also see what they mean though. I like video games, but I am not one of those people who really get into them , like when Chloe mentioned her boyfriends behavior in class. When she said her boyfriend gets so into games that he takes like 5 minutes to reply to her I couldn’t help but laugh because my dad does the same thing. Now if kids get that into video games, then I could see how people are concerned of them adapting violent behaviors. But I don’t think they have strong effects on older people because their brains have already developed. Also it depends on the kind of video games kids play. I don’t play a lot of violent games, maybe thats why I’m not violent.  

Another thing I wonder about is art. I love to draw and some day I wish to be a real artist. I really don’t no what kind or what I’ll do, but I fear my dream won’t come true. Almost all jobs requiring art now involves graphic design which I see as a form of cheating. I’m not saying  design isn’t hard, but its much easier to make something look perfect on photoshop then using paint or professional markers like I use. That sounded cocky and mean, I’m not a great artist but I want my art to be just as respected as one made on a computer. I found a great article about this topic.

Source:http://everything2.com/title/digital+art

interesting quotes: "I'm not blind to the old-fashioned joy of merely pushing paint around nor the need to decorate blank walls. But the rest of the art world has embraced high tech as its weapon of choice in battling the ugliness, indifference, injustice, and hatred in the world, why is it that painting still persists in trying to do so, only to fall flat on its face in elephant dung." 

~ Jim Lane, The Future of Painting

“Assuming we compare two identical works, one created digitally and another painted traditionally, the only difference is the physical presence of the traditional piece and the lack of physicality of the digital piece. Yet this difference seems enough reason for some people to write off digital art entirely. Why? The answer most commonly given is that the viewer feels detached or distanced from the artwork because of its lack of physicality. But is that what makes art? Whether or not you can feel the surface of a canvas? Was the same thought and feeling not invested in the digital piece? Of course it was. To demerit an artist's hard work and thought simply because "I can't touch it" shows both laziness and closed-mindedness in the viewer.”

"If a digital artist chooses to create a limited edition of his or her prints, once the prints have been completed, the file may be destroyed so it may no longer be used to create prints from." 

~ Shelley Eichholz, Whoring in the Art World: The Digital Art Debate

“But what about digital art that is displayed online? It is true, the market for these pieces is virtually non-existent, but since when was a big price-tag a pre-requisite for good art? I think that digital artists who display their work online have purer intentions than most of the art world's big names. Artists who are making art for a living are obviously making art to sell. Online artists make art simply to have it viewed by other people. Their intentions are not sullied by deadlines, curators or gallery conventions.”

I think digital art is kind of a waste. I don’t see how you can connect to your piece when you can’t actually feel yourself working on it. I’ve tried using photoshop and it feels empty using a mouse instead of a pencil or  a brush. I don’t think you can really connect to your work with a mouse. The first quote I totally agree with. Art for me is the escape from reality that most people get from technology. I don’t really see the world as a thing of ugliness, in fact I draw inspiration from it but when Jim says that the new generation has “embraced high tech as its weapon of choice in battling the ugliness, indifference, injustice, and hatred in the world” I couldn’t help but agree with him. Digital art makes something look perfect, I love how in traditional art you can see all the nics, damage, misplaced lines, and all the mistakes it just makes the peace more real. And when he questions “why is it that painting still persists in trying to do so, only to fall flat on its face in elephant dung." I could really connect because it is a sort of sad feeling when people admire digital art more then a painting. There is a website called deviant art a friend of mine showed me and it’s FULL of digital work. I’m one of the few people who has a piece up thats done with traditional tools. 

In the second quote, the author makes me feel bad about ridiculing digital artists. “To demerit an artist's hard work and thought simply because "I can't touch it" shows both laziness and closed-mindedness in the viewer.”. I don’t mean to say that digital artists aren’t really artist, or that their art is to be disrespected. It should be respected, but I don’t think more then a painting. It really depends on how hard someone worked on it. A 10 minute doodle on a drawing tablet shouldn’t be more respected then the something like the Mona Lisa or some of Picasso’s work. But another thing to take into consideration is how much effort and heart the artist put into their work.

This third quote I just found interesting because I don’t know if its true or not. I don’t see why they would have too. I guess its because painters sell their art and don’t have an extra copy for themselves, but then that just feel like there are rules for digital artist. I don’t think any art should have rules. 

The fourth quote really made me think. Maybe most digital artist don’t expect to do this as a living but only as a hobby and a way to make some quick cash. With this in mind, I apologize for saying all the negative things I said about digital artist, especially talented one or ones who are practicing.